Stick Man by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Axel Scheffler

from goodreads

4.5 stars

I don't know about your kids, but mine love picking up sticks. My middle one especially. We could be in the middle of a parking lot, no trees around, and yet, she can find a stick to pick up. Unbelievable. The basket under the stroller gets full of these treasures and our doorway is like a tree graveyard it is so full of sticks. (I make them leave the sticks and leaves and rocks outside. I have too much junk inside as it is!) This book made me wonder if we have unknowingly picked up any stick men and carried them far from their home.

Synopsis

Stick Man has a great life living with his lady love and his three children. One day while out for a run (kudos to Stick Man for having a healthy lifestyle) a dog gets him and wants to play fetch. From that point on Stick Man moves from one person to another getting farther and farther from his home.

My Thoughts

I loved the Gruffalo, also from this duo, and I love this book. Even though it is technically a Christmas book you could read this all year long. It really doesn't have much to do with Christmas at all.

The way the book rhymed and the rhythm in which it was read was very enjoyable. The pictures were so cool. You felt you were really with Stick Man as he was being made into a nest, or being tossed in a game of fetch.

I really liked how creative the author was with what she had Stick Man become. They were all believable and it exactly what kids might use it for. To children sticks can become anything. Donaldson captured that so well.

The think that bothered me about the book was not knowing what his lady love was doing and thinking the whole time he was gone. Was she worried or sad? What she having a party because she was glad he was gone? You get a little glimpse at the very end, but it would have been nice to have an inkling of what was going on with her. Like he was gone for months and months. Was she looking for him? Did she file a missing stick report? But, that is an adult perspective on a children's book. For the actually kids, they just loved the story and didn't worry about the other stuff.

I think you will love this book and your children will love this book. At my library it was filed under their Christmas section, so you may have to wait until the next Christmas season for it to be accessible. It is definitely worth the wait.